Sickle AUV-313
Rémy. Léopold (HE-Arc CR, Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland)
Sickle with a groove on the external front side with brown-yellow/dark-grey corrosion products as well as lacunas of the corrosion layers (Figs. 1-5). Dimensions: L = 13.67cm; Ømax. = 3.0cm; WT = 89.38g.
Tool
Hauterive - Champréveyres, Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Excavation 1971
Late Bronze Age
Lake
Laténium, Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel
Laténium, Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel
Auv 313
No conservation data available, but a coating and inventory number is visible on the surface.
The object was documented in 1987 by Valentin Rychner. Documentation of the strata in binocular mode on the object was performed in 2022.
The schematic representation below gives an overview of the corrosion structure encountered on the sickle from a first visual macroscopic observation.
Stratum | Type of stratum | Principal characteristics |
CP1 | Corrosion product | Brown, pearly, thin, discontinuous, compact, brittle, very soft |
CP2 | Corrosion product | Extra light grey, matte, thin, discontinuous, compact, powdery, soft |
CP3 | Corrosion product | Black, matte, thin, discontinuous, compact, powdery, very soft |
M1 | Metal | Yellow, thick, metallic, continuous, compact, tough, very hard |
Table 1: Description of the principal characteristics of the strata as observed under binocular and described according to Bertholon's method.
None.
None
None
None
None
None.
Analyses performed:
Non-invasive approach
XRF with handled portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (NITON XL5), General Metal mode, acquisition time 60s (filters: Li20/Lo20/M20).
The XRF analyses of the sickle were carried out on seven representative areas (Fig. 6). Points 1 and 2 were done in the brown corrosion layer of each side (CP1), points 3 and 4 on yellow areas covered with dark-grey corrosion layer (CP2 and CP3), points 5 and 6 on the magenta-blue corrosion layer (CP1), and point 7 on a black corrosion layer (CP1). All strata (soil, corrosion products, and metal) are analyzed at the same time.
The metal is presumably a tin bronze alloy with some As, Sb and Pb. The other elements detected are : Fe, S, Si, Al, Zn and Ag (points 3 and 4).
Results of points 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 are different and indicate the depletion in Cu and Sn and the enrichment in Fe and S.
Elements (mass %) | Cu | Fe | S | Sn |
Si | Al | Sb | Zn | Pb | As | Ag | ||||||||||||
% | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | % | +/-2σ | TOTAL | |
1 | 54.7 | 0.09 | 17.7 | 0.06 | 20.1 | 0.05 | 3.9 | 0.02 | 2.0 | 0.05 | 0.7 | 0.09 | 0.3 | 0.01 | 0.3 | 0.02 | <LD | <LD | <LD | <LD | <LD | <LD | 99.7 |
2 | 51.4 | 0.07 | 17.2 | 0.05 | 26.6 | 0.05 | 3.6 | 0.02 | 0.4 | 0.02 | 0.3 | 0.07 | 0.3 | 0.01 | 0.1 | 0.01 | <LD | <LD | <LD | <LD | <LD | <LD | 99.9 |
3 | 81.4 | 0.17 | 1.2 | 0.03 | 3.9 | 0.05 | 8.0 | 0.05 | 2.9 | 0.1 | <LD | <LD | 0.5 | 0.02 | <LD | <LD | 0.6 | 0.02 | 0.7 | 0.03 | 0.1 | 0.01 | 99.3 |
4 | 83.4 | 0.12 | 0.2 | 0.01 | 2.3 | 0.03 | 8.3 | 0.04 | 3.0 | 0.08 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.01 | <LD | <LD | 0.6 | 0.02 | 0.8 | 0.03 | 0.1 | 0.01 | 99.4 |
5 | 52.5 | 0.08 | 17.8 | 0.05 | 25.1 | 0.05 | 2.9 | 0.02 | 0.9 | 0.03 | 0.4 | 0.07 | 0.2 | 0.01 | 0.1 | 0.01 | <LD | <LD | <LD | <LD | 0.1 | 0.01 | 100.0 |
6 | 52.4 | 0.08 | 17.4 | 0.06 | 24.5 | 0.05 | 4.3 | 0.02 | 0.5 | 0.02 | 0.3 | 0.07 | 0.3 | 0.01 | 0.1 | 0.01 | <LD | <LD | <LD | <LD | 0.1 | 0.01 | 99.9 |
7 | 51.4 | 0.08 | 18.7 | 0.05 | 25.2 | 0.05 | 3.3 | 0.02 | 0.6 | 0.03 | 0.4 | 0.07 | 0.3 | 0.01 | 0.1 | 0.01 | <LD | <LD | <LD | <LD | 0.1 | 0.01 | 100.1 |
Table 2: Chemical composition of the surface of the pin at seven representative points shown in Fig. 6, Method of analysis: XRF, UR-Arc CR.
None.
None
Cu
Sn
Rychner (1987) indicates that the metal of the object is bronze.
The appearance of CP1 and its composition (Cu, Fe, S) seem to indicate that it is either itaite or chalcopyrite.
Uniform
lake patina (Schweizer 1994)
According to Rychner (1987), the surface of the object is covered with itaite (Cu5FeS6).
The corrosion structure has only been documented in binocular mode (Fig. 9).
The sickle is made from a tin bronze. The XRF analysis show that the brown, purple and black corrosion layers (CP1) have higher %Fe and %S and lower % Cu and %Sn than the layer closer to the metal. It would indicate that CP1 is made of copper iron sulfide like itaite (Cu5FeS6) or chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) as described by Rychner (1987). According to Schweizer's paper from 1994, it would mean that CP1 could be a lake patina which was generated on the metal by the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the burial environment.
References on object and sample
Object files in MiCorr
References object